1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control method for detecting a printer that supports printing via a print server on the Internet, and using the detected printer distinctly from local printing.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are methods of acquiring attributes from a conventional printer that involve the printer returns attribute data including one or more attribute values in response to a request from, an agent, and the agent registering the printer in a printer manager based on received, attribute data (e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-334890). There is also a mechanism called WSD (Web Services on Devices) serving as a technology for acquiring device information.
Also, a known method of installing a printer driver involves a client apparatus searching for printers on a network, and a driver supporting a printer selected by a user from detected printers being installed on the client apparatus. At this time, the installed driver is provided by a printer management server, printer, or the like. In the case of printing a document opened with an application, the user then selects an output destination printer from among printers supported by drivers installed on the client apparatus, and instructs printing. This method is mainly used for printing in a local environment.
Meanwhile, printers that support printing via a print server on the Internet have emerged. With printing via a print server (hereinafter, print service), the user transmits information on a document and an output destination printer and, where necessary, a job ticket to a print server. When printing via a print server, the client apparatus need only have installed one driver for issuing a service request supporting the print server.
However, with Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2007-334890, for example, the processing method of the agent is not clear in the case where one printer responds as a printer supporting a plurality of printing methods. Also, in the WSD search, the client apparatus, in the case where a printer returns a plurality of pieces (N pieces) of function information such as fax, scanner and print information, is capable of displaying an icon (N icons) for each function of the printer. However, the ability of the client apparatus to perform processing such as displaying a plurality of icons in relation to one piece of function information of the printer or associating different processing with the plurality of icons displayed in relation to the one print function is not established.
In the case of using a printer that supports printing via a print server such as mentioned above, a driver for printing via the print server and a driver for local printing are needed. Even in the case where a printer indicates, in response to a request from the client apparatus, that it is provided with only a print function, the method by which the client apparatus presents the printer to the user needs to be changed depending on whether the printer is print service-enabled or local print-enabled. However, this method is not fully established.